HAPPENINGS
INSURANCE INSIGHTS
Executive Order Reopens Federal Insurance Marketplaces
FAST FACT
Healthcare Costs Associated With Diabetes Climb Globally Diabetes caused at least
$760 billion in health expenditures in 2019
—10 percent of total healthcare spending on adults worldwide. Consumers may once again sign up for the Affordable Care Act federal insurance marketplaces traditionally available only in the fall. President Joe Biden signed an executive order in January to allow consumers to sign up for plans between February 15 and May 15, 2021, through HealthCare.gov, the online insurance exchange geared toward individuals who cannot access affordable health benefits through their employment. More than 8.2 million people signed
up for coverage in 2020 during the open enrollment period in November and December. Approximately 1.8 million of those who signed up last year were new enrollees, and 6.4 million renewed their coverage on the exchanges. Biden also is directing federal agencies to reconsider rules and policies that limit Americans’ access to healthcare, including policies that undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
—International Diabetes Federation’s Diabetes Atlas, Ninth Edition, 2019
FAST FACT
‘Excess’ Diabetes Deaths Could Be COVID-19 Related
THE LIGHTER SIDE “Estimates of excess deaths can provide information about the burden of mortality potentially related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the CDC, which found that some deaths due to COVID-19 may have been assigned to other causes of death—for example, if COVID-19 was not diagnosed or mentioned on the death certificate. In some states, deaths attributed to diabetes were at least 20 percent above the expected amount—deemed “excess deaths”—for the majority of 2020. Nationally, deaths attributed to diabetes were up 15 percent.
O&P ALMANAC | FEBRUARY 2021
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